Cryptocurrency exchange KuCoin has appointed former London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) executive Sabina Liu as the Managing Director of its European business, based in Vienna. This strategic hire follows the exchange securing a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) license from Austrian authorities in November 2025, a process it began in early 2025.
The MiCAR license grants KuCoin the ability to offer regulated crypto services across all 30 countries of the European Union and European Economic Area. Liu, who previously led KuCoin's institutional business and spent over a decade at LSEG, will now steer the exchange's expansion under this new regulatory framework. She described the license as a "major milestone" that provides "guardrails to support long-term growth" and presents a unified framework for operating in a mature financial region.
KuCoin CEO BC Wong has framed Europe as a core market in the group's long-term compliance strategy. The exchange's approach signals a shift in Europe from rapid experimentation to credibility and execution under regulation. "The race in Europe is no longer about who lists fastest or offers the highest leverage. It’s about who can operate cleanly, visibly, and at scale under regulatory scrutiny," the announcement noted.
Alongside its European push, KuCoin has recently expanded its global regulated footprint. In November 2025, it obtained regulatory approval to operate in Australia with fiat on-ramps, allowing users to purchase crypto with Australian dollars. Around the same time, it integrated with Brazil's Pix instant payment platform, enabling Brazilians to spend cryptocurrencies at merchants accepting Pix QR codes.
